Schools’ water

Regarding Max Kline’s letter in the June 24 edition, some information on watering in the school district:

All schools except May Street and Cascade Locks use irrigation water for sports fields. That means we pay a flat fee, regardless of how much water is used.

While that is not a reason to waste water, NOT watering does NOT save money.

We water at night so that our community can use their fields during daylight and to reduce evaporation.

Pat Evenson-Brady
Superintendent, Hood River County Schools

Orchid thief

Yesterday afternoon (June 23) someone stole a rare orchid from the Art in the Garden exhibit at Columbia Art Gallery.

The specimen was a Dendrobium: Flower Baby “Victoria Regina Culbertsonii.” The orchid was the smallest of the 21 orchids we have been showcasing during the past month — it had small, dark green leaves and delicate pink blooms.

All of the plants are from the private collection of Gylan Lane of Mt. Hood, who generously prepared these flowers so they would be blooming during the show. They have certainly been a highlight for all of our visitors this month. Because the orchids are Gylan’s personal plants they were not for sale, but people could place orders if they were so inclined.

We found this theft particularly upsetting because the stolen orchid was the most valuable of the collection and we wonder if it was intentionally plucked from its pot because of that. It is also unsettling that the theft happened during the day during while the gallery was staffed.

Columbia Center for the Arts is offering a reward for anyone with information on the whereabouts of the orchid.

Flower Baby’s wholesale value is $400, which means it would retail for about $800.

Catherine Kiewit, manager
Columbia Art Gallery

Control your dog

Recently my daughter-in-law, four grandchildren ages 8-12 an myself were enjoying an afternoon at riverfront park. There were families with dogs playing. Most of the dogs were not on leashes, but were staying with their owners. That’s fine with me.

However, two dogs came running over to where we were, barking. They were not on a leash and the owner was running after them. My grandchildren are afraid of dogs, so when they (the dogs) came running, the kids were screaming and scattered. This of course, encouraged the dogs.

The other younger children clung to their mother in the water; the two older children clung to me on the beach. The dogs barked and circled me and the two older children.

They all were hysterical by now. The owner tried in vain to get them under control. By the way, one was a pit bull looking me in the eye and barking.

The other dog was behind me. Finally the owner coaxed their dogs away and put them on a leash. We were all very distraught and of course the children do not want to come back to Waterfront Park.

We have no problem with dogs playing on the beach with their owners. It is the owner’s responsibility to keep their pets under their control, for everyone’s peace of mind.

Elaine Johnson
Hood River

Onerous theft

If I had not read “The Orchid Thief” by Susan Orleans, I could not believe the disappearance of one of Gylan Lane’s orchids from the Columbia Art Gallery on the afternoon of June 23.

Gylan is a world-class orchid grower here in Hood River County. During the June “Art in the Garden” show at the gallery, she displayed her beautiful orchids so that anyone who fell in love with these blossoms — different colors but all exotic — could order a cutting to be propagated. A win/win situation, right?

More than many passions, however, orchids tend to incite irrational behavior. This has been documented from Victorian times. In a nonprofit art gallery serving the Columbia Gorge and Hood River, with the orchids on display and not for sale, this theft is particularly onerous.

Katherine Cobb
Hood River